The top five US states hosting international students were California, New York, Texas, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.

Washington: As a result of US President Donald Trump's stricter immigration policies, there has been a significant decline in the number of student visas, especially given to those hailing from India and China. The number of Indian students leaving for the US shores for higher studies was far less in 2016-17 than what it was in 2015-16 (24.9 per cent) and 2014-15 (29.4 per cent).

According to the data released by the US Department of State, 47,302 visas were allotted to Indian students in 2016-17. Notably, 65,257 visas were issued to Indian students in the fiscal ended September 30, 2016.

Chinese students, who prefer the US for higher studies, witnessed a significant fall, as 1,16,109 students were issued the visa in 2016-17 as compared to 1,52, 120 during the corresponding year.

The countries which are the top senders to the US after China and India are South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan, Mexico and Brazil.

The top five US states hosting international students were California, New York, Texas, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.

Indian students in US doubled in the last decade

According to a report published by the US Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in 2017, the total number of Indian students in the US stands at over 186,000, rising by more than 12 per cent in the last one year.

Comprising 17.3 per cent of all international students there, the Indian students are only behind students from China, which remains the top sender of students to the US since 2009-10 when it toppled India for the number one position.

"The number of Indian students in the US has doubled over the last 10 years and India is the second leading place of origin for students coming to the US... The majority of Indian students (56 per cent) in the US are studying at the (post) graduate level," George Hogeman, Consul General, US Embassy, told reporters, citing the numbers in the '2017 Open Doors report on International Educational Exchange'.